WORKOUTS FOR WEAKNESS

WORKOUTS FOR WEAKNESS

Strength is a very desirable trait. Being strong makes many otherwise arduous tasks much easier. From lifting and shifting heavy kit to pushing your body to its limits. Strength makes everything better.

How strong should you be? The easy answer is much stronger than you are now! It's doubtful you will ever be too strong.

A lot of people go about building strength in the wrong way. They focus on bodybuilding-type training methods. They get bigger, but not proportionally stronger. There is nothing inherently wrong with bigger muscles, but if you aren’t as strong as you look, there is something wrong with your training.

In contrast, well-executed strength training will make you bigger AND stronger. Think of this as functional bodybuilding; you’ll develop show and go.

How to do you build this kind of strength? Follow these rules.

Movements, not muscles

Ask a bodybuilder what they are training today, and they’ll probably say something like chest, biceps, or back. They focus on developing one muscle at a time. For strength, your focus should be on movements and not muscles. The main movements you need to work on are:

Lower body pull (hip dominant)

Lower body push (knee dominant)

Upper body vertical pull

Upper body vertical push

Upper body horizontal pull

Upper body horizontal push

If you include all six of these movement patterns in your workouts, you will not just get stronger, you’ll work all your major muscles too. Don’t worry – we’ve got a sample workout at the end of this article to clarify.

Heavy loads

To get stronger, you need to lift heavy weights. Bodybuilders often use moderate and even light weights to build muscle, but that's not the best way to get strong. Instead, you should use more substantial loads. Heavy weights stimulate not just your muscles but your nervous system too. A better-functioning nervous system is critical for maximal strength. Your workouts also need to be progressive, i.e., you increase your weights gradually over time.

Low reps

If you lift heavy weights, you won’t be able to do many reps. You can build strength with very low (1-2) reps per set, but that's a good way to get injured and burned out. Instead, make 3-5 your go-to rep range for strength training.

You can do higher reps on occasion, but the bulk of your training should be in the 3-5 range. Exercises that are supplemental to your main exercises, known as assistance exercises, are often best done with lighter weights and more reps. Please see the example programs at the end of this article for examples.

Longer rest periods

Heavy strength training takes a lot out of your body. You might not feel tired, but a set of 3-5 reps with near maximal weights will drain your nervous energy. Trying to do another set too soon will limit the amount of weight you can use, and that will affect your progress.

When lifting heavy weights, you need 2-5 minutes between sets to recover fully. The heavier the weight, the longer you should rest, even though your set will be shorter. Make use of this extra time by stretching between sets or doing supersets of non-competing exercises, e.g., push and pull, or upper and low body exercises.

Exercise selection

The best way to develop strength is to use exercises that use large groups of muscles working together. After all, that’s how your body works in nature. Big calves and biceps are pointless if the rest of your body is weak.

The best exercises for building strength are called compound exercises. They involve lots of muscles at the same time and often replicate the movements you need to perform in everyday life. Think squats instead of leg extensions, and pull-ups instead of biceps curls.

Sample workouts

Not sure where to start? Don't worry – we've got your back. Here are two workouts designed especially for the acquisition of strength. Hit the gym twice a week and take 3-4 days between workouts, e.g., Monday and Thursday. This will allow you plenty of time for recovery and any other workouts you need to do to get military fit.